Drum



Aug. .24', 1926.

E. L. EGERMAYER DRUM Filed Dec. 15. 1924 a M H RX m, 0 www@ E L5 M f Patented Aug. 24, 1926.

DWAD EGERMAYER, OF GRAND FORKS,Y NORTH DAKOTA.

nimm.

applicati@ mea'kneenber is, 192A. sensi No.y 755,660.

This invention relatesfto musical drums and especially7 to means for yieldingly tensioning the heads thereof,being applicable to snare, bass, or tympanidrums and banjos, as well as tom-tomsor other musical instruments employing a piercussivehead. y y It is an object of the inventionk to provide in a drum, a sixnple but highly efiicie'nt device for tensioningI the ercussive heads and automatically maintaining the proper tension thereof, despite variations 1n the temperature or atmospheric pressure.

yIt is a further object in such a device to provide means for readilyadjusting the tension ,of the heads comprising few parts kand capalple of being assembled or disassembled uic q An iidditional objefgsof the inve cion ist@ rovide ka resil' nt tensionin* evic'e for drums which wi permette rum heads to give slightly: when `underunusu strain, thereby minimizingthe danger o fracture ofthe skin oi'.vxalliliml f* n, I n

More speciiieally, it is an object of the invention to provide a resilient collar pted to bear a'ailsistthey yskin hoop or ead ring ofthe l and 4compressed by an outer com ression ring impelled toward thedrumhead. z .y 1

A still further object of the inventiony is to provide` y adjustable resilient` tightening meansk for impelling t e compression ring towards kthe drum head. y

These and other objects of the rinvention will; beapparent from the following description nade in connection withthe aceompany'nng/ drawings, wherein like haraeters t e several refer to similar parts throughout views, and whereinv 1 Y, Y f y Fig. 1 is a view mostly` Yin sideelevation and partly in section of the preferred f rm of the invention with some parte bro en Wy Fig. 2 is alvertical Section tekenen the 1in@ 2-20fFe-1; l

Fig. 3 Lis a detail View of one of therod receiving soclirets` detached; y y y y,

Eig. 4 is a lan view, on adiminished scale, of the resiliexitcollar employedtin the improved drum; l M l v Y ,L

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the same `taken onthe linefofFig. 4; and ig. (iis.l afrenta'ry verticalsection of la modified forml df the invention.

tion, are disposed on the outer side of each of the heads t8 in axial alignment therewith and in spaced relation thereto. Between the 'compression rings 10` and the skinV hoops 9, resilient collars 11 are dis "osed,' best shown in F 4 and 5, havinfr struck up therefrom or otherwise secured thereona plurality of leaf springs 11a adapted to' project angulirly outward and be contacted by the' inner side of compression rings'lO. l y

The compression rings 1() have a plurality ofcirc'umferentially spaced, preferably circular apertures therethrough, each provided with seats 10a in the outer Surfaces of said rings. A plurality of spring baskets or tublar members 12, havii'ig hanged heads, are adapted to project through compression rings 10 and have their flanged ends disposed in seats l1l. Vf'lhe' bottoms of the spring baskets 12 project inwardly and are perforated toY permit `the tightening trods 13 to vbe* passed therethrough with the enlarged tighteningheads 14 disposed Within the bskets. VCoilefd springs 1,5 areinterposed etween the hea-ds 14 and the bottoms of the basketslZ. vThe tigh'te'ning rods 13 project inwardlyy and terminate in threaded engaging ends 13a. A.`plii1`-ality of upstanding posts 16 are bolted or otherwise secured in c`1rcumferentiallyfspacedy relation to the ou'terysidve of the body of shell 7, preferably rat the (jISS SCtlIl Center theref. Each ofthe kposts 16 is provided with an outer substantially rectangular securing head 16a,

preferably extending longitudinally withl the anis4 of the drum. Anchoring members 17, havin" threaded receiving sockets 17, are rovided, withv ianges 1'7"V havin'gsubstantially rectangular apertures therethroughextending at right angles to their The apertures are obviously adapted to fit over theheadsl, permittinv the anchoring members 17 .to be pivotal se cured to the post 16 The threaded sockets 17 engage the threaded ends 13HL 'of the tightening rods, and, of course, permit ten sion to be placed on the coiled springs 15 and consequently on the compression rings l() and imparted through the resilient-collars ll to the skin hoops 9. Two sets of resilient elements are, therefore, employed to tension the drum heads S.

It is, of course, obvious that the tension on the drum heads 8 may be increased or decreased by the manipulation of the slotted heads let on the tightening rods disposed within the baskets l2. The tension of the heads may thus be regulated by means of a screw driver or simple tool adapted to engage the slotted heads le.

It will be seen that, although considerable tension be putupon the drum heads, there will always be a high degree of resiliency present in the tensioning devices, which will atford sutlicient elastic give to prevent the heads from becoming fractured, when the drum is beaten unusually hard, or when temperature or atmospheric conditions tend to tighten the heads.

It will also be seen that this same resiliency afforded by the spring collar and the plurality of coiled springs will tend, at all times, to equalize the actual tension on the heads S. The tonal quality of the drum will, therefore, be substantially constant and it will, therefore, not be necessary to tune the drum each time it is used or to loosen the heads when the drummer has finished playing.

The resilient collar 11, provided with the plurality of leaf springs l2, affords a novel and eflicient means for uniformly applying the desired resilient tension to the skin hoops 9, while the spring-equipped tightening rods resiliently impel the compression rings lO towards the drum heads.

In the modified form of the invention, illustrated in Fig. 6, the coiled springs are dispensed with and the resiliency is entirely furnished by the spring collars. In Fig. 6, the body of the drum is indicated by the numeral 20, having a drum head 2l secured to head ring The resilient collar 23, as in the preferred form of the invention, is interposed between the skin hoop 22 and the compression ring 2l. rfhe baskets or tubular members 25 are seated and pass through the compression rings 2l, as in the preferred form, and the tension rod. are threadedly engaged in the same manner, as has been previously described. rllhe heads 2T of the tightening rods 26, however, engage the bottoni of the basket Q5 and pull directly thereupon, without the intervention of the coiled spring. This mod'iied form may be more cheaply manufactured and has also been found to give "a ctory results.

From the above description` it will be seen that a highly eiiicient resiliently tensioned drum has been invented capable of ready adjustment and involving few parts. The novel features of the device have been carefully tested and found to be highly successful for the purposes intended.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details and arrangement of the parts Without departing from the scope of the invention. It will likewise be understood that the invention is equally applicable to banjos or other musical instruments employing a stretched vellum head.

lVhat is claimed is l. A drum or analogous instrument comprising a body having an open end, a head stretched over said end, a. skin hoop for said head encircling said body and movable longitudinally thereof, resilient means contacting the outer side of said skin hoop, and compression means held against said resilient means to yielding tension said head.

2. A drum or analogous instrument coinprising a body having an open end, a head stretched over said end, a skin hoop for said head encircling said body and movable longitudinally thereof, a. resilient collar axially aligned with and contacting the outer side of said skin hoop, and a compression ring held against said resilient means to yieldingly tension said head.

3. The structure set forth in claim E2, and said resilient collar comprising an annular member carrying a plurality of outwardly projecting leaf springs.

4. A drum or analogous instrument cornprising a body having an open end, a head stretched over said end, a skin hoop for said head encircling said body and movable longitudinally thereof, a resilient collar contacting the outer side of said skin hoop, and compression means contacting the outer side of said resilient collar, and means for securing said compression means to the body of said drum adjustable longitudinally of said body.

5. A drum or analogous instrument comprising a body having an open end, a head stretched over said end, a skin hoop for said head encircling said body and movable longitudinally thereof, a resilient collar contacting the outer side of said skin hoop, a compression means contacting the outer side of said resilient collar, resilient means securing said compression ring to said body and adjustable longitudinally of said body.

6. A drum or analogous instrument comprising a body having an open end, a head stretchedeover said end, a skin hoop for said head encircling said body and movable longitudinally thereof, a compression ring on the outer side of said skin hoop adapted to tension said head, a plurality of baskets carried by said compression ring, inwardly iso disposed thereof, with their outer edges subsaid means comprising headed tightening stantially flush with the outer surface of yrods and coiled springs disposed between said com ression ring, and means extending the heads of said rods and the bottoms of 10 into sai baskets for adjustably securing said baskets.

i said compression ring to said body to vary In testimony whereof I affix my signathe tension of said head. ture.

7 The structure set forth in claim 6, and EDWARD L. EGERMAYER. 

